Fresh out of the box

JAKARTA, Indonesia — There’s something to be said for keeping things that’ve been around since the late ‘80s, things that found their beginnings at the denouement of New Wave, new, poppin’ and “always fresh.” At the blind auditions of latest season of The Voice UK, coach Tom Jones dropped the word “fresh” to one of the contestants, for which fellow coach Will.I.Am, as well as the British audiences, couldn’t help but erupt with disbelief, and then excitement. “Wow, that was like the dopest thing in the history of freshness,” says the man who pulled in Britney for Scream and Shout. “For that word to come from Tom Jones.” Yes, even Mr. Sex Bomb still manages to keep it fresh.

The same could be said of British Streetwear brand Boxfresh which has been inspiring generations of style savants with its design-savvy collections since its market stall beginnings in 1989. What started as a pop-up store in the UK has evolved into a global brand that covers everything from apparel to footwear, and has particularly made a connection with the Asian market in terms of the story it wants to tell — “always keep it fresh.”

For the launch of its spring/summer 2013 collection, Young STAR flew to Jakarta for an exclusive interview with Boxfresh International Ltd. managing director Mike Stopforth to talk camo, collaborations, Alt-J, and keeping it fresh. Let’s pop some Mentos (‘coz, you know…).

YOUNG STAR: Hey Mike! Let’s talk Boxfresh. How is this different from other street wear brands out there in the market?

MIKE STOPFORTH: The fact that we’re British whereas a lot of streetwear brands traditionally have come from the US is a real strong point to us. We’re able to include a bit of British humor or irony, or just the design. I think our approach generally is this whole embracing of new things.

So what new things have you guys embraced?

For example, in terms of the product, we’ve started collaborating with a number of brands. And although I know that collaborations aren’t necessarily a new idea, the type of brands that we’re collaborating with our young, up and coming, London-based collaborators and therefore they’re giving us something that nobody else has. I think that’s one way to embrace newness.

Which collaborations are you pursuing in the coming year?

We’re launching one with Passarella Death Squad which is a British street wear brand that is very different to us — very gothic, dark. It’s a real juxtaposition.

What other collaborations have you done in the past?

In the past we’ve worked with Barbour, a British outdoor coat manufacturer. We’ve worked with BMX, Pete Fowler, a British artist. Casio G-shock a few years ago. It’s definitely part of our DNA.

The name “Boxfresh” hailed from the New York streetwear lingo “fresh out of the box.” How would you differentiate London streetwear from New York streetwear?

London streetwear is a little more refined. We definitely take inspiration from the US because that’s really the birth of streetwear. However, we take that and we refine it whether it’s the fit of the item (I’d say it’s a lot more fitted than the regular American streetwear), the lining, or the detailing of the item.

I reckon New York streetwear is heavily influenced by hip-hop music whereas London streetwear is influenced by rock?

I would definitely agree. In the UK, streetwear is so diverse. It can come from rock, it can come from indie, it’s just more of a mash-up whereas in America, it’s very much categorized as a hip-hop type of look.

Boxfresh started out as a pop-up store in the UK. How has it evolved?

It started as a T-shirt brand at a market store. We have grown as a credible and reputable brand, and added other categories. Over the years, we’ve made a real drive to become a global business. Now the higher percentage of our business is outside of the UK. We’ve very strong in Europe still, Asia particularly is a key market. We launched in South Korea last year, Japan this year, China end of last year, and also we’re building a nice business in South East Asia.

Why do you think Asians have been so receptive of this London streetwear brand?

We have a story to tell. I think that’s important. If you can go into any market with a really strong story and proposition, then people can start to build a relationship and affinity with it. In Southeast Asia, the Primer guys have done a particularly good job in telling our story. People like to tell stories. That’s what good brands are about.

You guys are doing camo at the moment, which funnily enough, was part of your portfolio when you first started. How has the Boxfresh style evolved over the years? Or has it come full circle?

Camo as a trend comes in and out. It’s what you do with the trend. When we first started, we used traditional camouflage prints from the army. Now, we create our own camouflage print, our own interpretation of it. And that’s what we’ll try to do with every trend we encounter.

What are the biggest highlights of this 2013 Boxfresh collection?

I’d say it’s us going back to graphic application. We’ve got some really strong graphics and that a strong part of the brand’s heritage.

What of London’s youth culture does Boxfresh celebrate the most?

I think we have done a really good job with building an association with music as part of a subculture. We look at other things, whether it be street art or fashion however music makes subculture as a soundtrack to people’s youth, and that’s very much what we take. Music is really important to us.

Which bands would we hear on a Boxfresh soundtrack right now?

It’s constantly changing. We don’t want to associate ourselves with a particular genre of music for a long period of time because music, like fashion, changes so quick. But right now, I’d say Alt-J. They’re a British brand, and they’re all about youth. They’re creative, they’ve brought something new. The xx is another good example. Those two bands represent for what our brand is right now, and I think there will be another one in a year or two.

I noticed that Boxfresh works with a lot of keywords as opposed to sentences. Would you say Boxfresh is a brand that would rather walk than talk?

Definitely. We let the product do the walkin’, not the talkin.’

So if there was a boxer in the world who ought to be wearing Boxfresh, who should it be?

Manny.

I was counting on that!

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Boxfresh is available in all Bratpack retailers nationwide.